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ARMONK, N.Y. and BOEBLINGEN, Germany, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced a project that will simplify electric vehicle (EV) charging and payment for consumers, regardless of their location. The operational demonstration, called the B2B Marketplace will allow energy providers, car manufacturers, and charging point owners to share and integrate services on one common IT platform. This will create a network of EV charging services that are compatible regionally in Europe.

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In an effort to increase electric vehicle adoption, the B2B Marketplace demonstration allows drivers to charge their vehicle and pay in any location across borders and geographies, regardless of their energy provider - an approach similar to international roaming for mobile phones. This project aims to allow cross network communication between multiple charging stations and various utility companies, in any territory. As a result, EV drivers can travel without the worry of being too far from an allocated charge post or one supported by their provider.

Utilities will also benefit, as the IT platform provides interoperable standards and payment support, reducing potential management issues with financial settlement and international conversion.

Part of the Green eMotion project, the initiative is funded by the European Union with the goal to establish a Europe-wide infrastructure for electric vehicles by 2015. This is part of the broader European Recovery Plan to reduce C02 emissions by 60 percent by the year 2050.

"This marketplace will pave the way for the electromobility mass market in Europe. It allows for open access to charging spots throughout Europe thus making the journey with an e-car simple and convenient," said Dr. Heike Barlag, Siemens AG, Project Coordinator Green eMotion.

Based on IBM software and IBM SmartCloud Enterprise, the project creates a scalable open-standards environment that enables manufacturers and service providers to link their various services according to consumer and industry requirements. Using analytic software, participants will also have the insight to develop new or improved services to support more electric vehicles as the market grows. Green eMotion partners such as Enel, SAP and Siemens developed the required EV services.

"Green eMotion is spearheading many key developments that have the potential to reinvent Europe's complex transportation system and energy infrastructure. For other countries around the world, there is a lot to be learned from this initiative," said Clay Luthy, IBMGlobal Distributed Energy Resource Leader. "Our goal is to help add a new layer of intelligence to the electric vehicle market and a new level of convenience to the driver through the Green eMotion project. We believe the demonstration project will foster innovation and further transformation across a larger geographical footprint."
IBM is one of 43 partners in Europe involved in the Green eMotion project, including energy providers, electric car manufacturers, as well as cities and research institutions, working to enable electromobility across Europe. Similar to the recently announced project with ESB Networks IBM is helping to improve power grid reliability, encourage EV adoption amongst consumers, and address the challenges of financial and billing settlement - by combining cloud and analytic capabilities.

IBM and Smart Grid
IBM is involved in more than 150 smart grid engagements around the world, in both mature and emerging markets. More about IBM's vision to bring a new level of intelligence to how the world works--how every person, business, organization, government, natural system, and man-made system interacts, can be found here: http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet
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